More details released on deadly cement truck crash in Olive Twp.
A routine afternoon drive along the quiet rural crossroad of 120th Avenue and Stanton Street ended in sudden tragedy Monday, leaving a driver dead and four passengers — including three young boys — injured when an SUV collided with a cement truck.
OLIVE TWP. — A routine afternoon drive along the quiet rural crossroad of 120th Avenue and Stanton Street ended in sudden tragedy Monday, leaving a driver dead and four passengers — including three young boys — injured when an SUV collided with a cement truck.
At approximately 2:20 p.m. on Oct. 5, emergency dispatchers received calls reporting a severe two-vehicle crash in Olive Township. Callers warned that multiple people were trapped inside a 2024 Toyota SUV that had collided with a 2016 Phoenix cement mixer.
According to preliminary findings by sheriff's investigators, the northbound cement truck was approaching the intersection on 120th Avenue when the westbound Toyota failed to yield the right-of-way, pulling directly into the mixer's path.
The force of the impact claimed the life of the Toyota's 51-year-old male driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sitting beside him in the front passenger seat was a 46-year-old adult woman. Though both she and the driver were wearing their seatbelts, she suffered severe injuries. First responders summoned an Aero Med helicopter, which airlifted her directly to Corewell Health in Grand Rapids, where she remains hospitalized in critical condition.
In the back seat were three young boys — ages 4, 9, and 11 — none of whom were wearing seatbelts at the time of the impact. AMR ambulances rushed all three children to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
Officials confirmed Tuesday that two of the boys suffered critical injuries, while the third suffered moderate injuries. All three remain under medical care.
The driver of the cement truck was not injured.
Deputies shut down the intersection of 120th Avenue and Stanton Street for several hours into Monday evening as crash reconstructionists painstakingly documented the wreckage, mapped the roadway, and cleared the debris.
The names of the driver and passengers are being withheld pending full family notification. The crash remains under investigation by the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.
Responders from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, alongside fire and rescue teams from Olive and Robinson townships, assisted at the scene.
— Submitted by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office. To submit a news tip, email newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
